“I couldn’t continue with him,” Fernando Alonso reveals how Ron Dennis was a major factor behind his McLaren exit in 2007

Fernando Alonso fought a spirited rookie Lewis Hamilton at McLaren in 2007, under the command of Ron Dennis

Ron Dennis and Fernando Alonso via CrashNet

Fernando Alonso won the championship back to back in 2005 and 2006 with Renault, and the young gun broke veteran Michael Schumacher’s dominance with his driving masterclass. He then made a sensational move to McLaren, where he was partnered with none other than an ambitious rookie Lewis Hamilton.

Alonso recalled a nail-biting season where he and Hamilton matched each other blow for blow, with their competitive battles sparking tension among the team’s management. The two were fierce in their actions and retaliation, which split the garage over their strategy and preferences. The duo finished the season in equal points behind champion Kimi Raikkonen. Alonso left McLaren at the end of the year for Scuderia Ferrari.

FS Video

Alonso recently discussed his fight with Hamilton and team exit. He told the Daily Mail, “We each consider the other to be a talented driver and one of the toughest competitors we have ever met. The situation that season was not well-managed by our bosses. We were young. We were immature. We were many of the things we are not now, and we needed help from the management that we didn’t get.”. He clearly highlights the mistakes made by the management in amicably handling a tense relationship between the pair and blames the lack of help they received in diffusing the situation.

The Spaniard also substantiated the key factor leading to his departure, stating, “I couldn’t continue with McLaren. It was a team with eyes totally on one side of the garage. As Ron (Dennis, team principal) said after the penultimate race in China, ‘Our race isn’t with (Ferrari’s Felipe) Massa, it is with Fernando.’”. He explained that when his own team considered him an adversary, it was a sign that his departure was imminent.

The 2007 season was packed with tension, controversy, and fierce competition

Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso via thesportsrush

Fernando Alonso has now expressed how he would love to partner with Lewis Hamilton so the pair could end their careers together. The two have mutual respect for each other and always race each other, holding nothing back. This relationship, however, wasn’t always as smooth. In 2007, the season pushed the relationship between the pair to a breaking point.

The pair were in the spotlight for incidents off-track as well as on. The two were so intent on besting the other that they even went to the extent of ignoring team orders. The Hungarian Grand Prix sparked a controversy that shook the paddock. Hamilton had ignored an order which allowed Alonso to overtake him in qualifying, to which the Spaniard retaliated by holding the Englishman in the pit lane. He was given a 5-place grid penalty for this infringement and was furious. Alonso demanded that team principal Ron Dennis sabotage Hamilton’s race by making him run out of fuel.

?: Fernando Alonso has revealed that Ron Dennis' comment about "our race" being against "Fernando" made him realise he couldn't continue with McLaren after a controversial 2007 season. Alonso said he couldn't continue with the team that had eyes totally one side of the garage.… pic.twitter.com/ood1m5G5pB
— F1 Naija (@f1_naija) April 18, 2023

The claim is that Alonso threatened Dennis with revealing the extent of confidential information belonging to Ferrari that McLaren used if he disagreed. This is also referred to as the Spygate scandal. Ron Dennis instead took this to the FIA President, and a second investigation into McLaren’s involvement and possession of stolen confidential information was launched. This resulted in the team being disqualified from the Constructors Championship along with a $100 Million fine. Alonso was viewed as the antagonist in the British garage, with Hamilton viewed as the starlet. The pair finished the season level on points, just one short of champion Kimi Räikkönen.

Regardless of the controversy and tension, the pair was the center of, Hamilton and Alonso think of each other as strong adversaries and share a mutual respect little seen at the pinnacle of Motorsport. The two frequently express their admiration for each other, and their battles on track are as exciting today as they were in 2007. With the Aston Martin this year, looking as strong if not stronger than Mercedes, battles between the duo are bound to be witnessed again and take the spotlight.